>Did this meteor come from that comet? Probably not. Although many
meteors do originate from comets, there are
thousands of
comets that have visited the inner
Solar System recently, and matching meteors to them can be tricky. And to be clear, the
pictured comet is far behind the
streaking meteor. Comet
C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) was captured from
Hautacam,
France in April when the
giant space iceberg sported impressive
ion (blue) and dust
tails. Sand-sized rocky debris that enters
Earth’s atmosphere typically appears as
meteors, while the
colorful foreground streak here may indicate a complicated composition. This month three
notable meteor showers will reach their peaks. Over the next few days, the Southern
Taurids will be reaching their apex, while the Northern
Taurids will top out about a week later. Both originate from
Comet 2P/Encke. November is most famous for the
Leonids Meteor Shower, though, which originates from
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle and will
reach its crescendo in about two weeks.